


A Gentleman’s Challenge

by Desparado



Category: The Witcher (TV)
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, F/M, Gen, Geralt z Rivii | Geralt of Rivia Actually Being Funny, Jaskier | Dandelion Being Very Cheesy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-28
Updated: 2020-08-28
Packaged: 2021-03-06 22:20:33
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,074
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26156410
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Desparado/pseuds/Desparado
Summary: Tumblr request: Hey! Can I please request a Jaskier x female reader fic with the prompts “Can I braid your hair?” + “Your smile is all I need” + “You look so beautiful” + “I’ll always be here for you, ok?” + “I wanna marry you so bad” + “Please don't cry!” + “I just wanna be in your arms” please and thank you!!!Contains the most amount of prompts I have ever put in one fic.
Relationships: Jaskier | Dandelion/Reader
Kudos: 16





	A Gentleman’s Challenge

You weren’t feeling quite yourself. A grey cloud had been following you since you all left the village and you were struggling to shake it off. It had been a hectic few days as you ran around saving most of the residents from painful death by poison as Geralt hunted down the giant centipede that caused it. Then you had to save him after he got bitten himself, almost losing him in the process. Magic may be the control of chaos but it also involved use of personal energy; and now you were feeling like your soul had been sucked out.  
“Geralt, is y/n okay?” Jaskier asked quietly as he rode alongside him, watching you as you slowly rode ahead of them, body swaying a little too much with each step. “She’s probably just tired.” The witcher grumbled.  
“But we’ve not been riding that long!”  
“Well if you’re so concerned why don’t you ask her?” Geralt snapped.  
Jaskier looked at him wide-eyed, “My dear Geralt, you can’t just ask someone about their feelings, sometimes you need to just know and find a way to cheer them up! Not that I’d expect you to know anything about that.” Jaskier mocked, cocking an eyebrow at Geralt and seeing him glare in return. “I know very well how to cheer someone up, thank you very much. Especially y/n.”  
“Uh-huh sure you do.” Jaskier snorted. “I bet you don’t even know how to make her laugh!” Geralt frowned at him as he considered his next words. He knew how much Jaskier had become captivated by you and he was willing to play a game with it. “Bet’s on bard, just don’t take it too personally when she thinks I’m funnier than you.”

The midday sun had heated the road up to a point that it was uncomfortable for the horses, so you advised that you all take a break, needing some time out of the heat yourself. You all took shelter at the edge of a river, the horses enjoying the cool water on their hooves. You sat on the riverbank, mind elsewhere as you leant back on your hands and watched some birds playing in the sky above you. Just then you felt a presence next to you and looked up to see Geralt smiling at you. “Hey.” You said, offering him a small smile as he ducked down next to you. “Hey. Can I braid your hair?”  
“W-what?” You stuttered, surprised by his request.  
“Well, I noticed you struggling with it earlier, I can braid it out of your face if you’d like?” He smiled at you again and you nodded, appreciating the gesture. He sat behind you and you leaned forward, catching Jaskier’s eye as he stared at you both for a moment before tending to his horse. You squinted, confused at his facial expression, before then being distracted by Geralt’s fingers in your hair. He was being very delicate, weaving the strands around each other as he thanked you for helping him and then reminisced about previous hunts you’d been on together. “… And that idiot who really thought he could fend off a kikimore with a stick! I mean, just watching him was hilarious!” He laughed as he spoke, this was very rare for Geralt- almost suspicious- but you were grateful to hear it, having almost lost him back in the village. “Yes… I suppose it was funny.” You sighed before turning round to face him, “Thanks Geralt, I think we best move on now.” Standing up, you gave him another smile before walking to your horse, leading her out of the river and up to the road again. When your back was turned, Jaskier smirked at Geralt as he pulled a face at your lack of humour, before following you with his own horse.

It turned out you were a lot further from the nearest village then any of you expected, so when the sun began it’s descent, you all agreed to set up camp in a woodland patch- small enough to not harbour any nasty surprises but dense enough to hide yourselves. The horses tethered to a nearby tree, Geralt made up the fire as you checked the food stocks. Jaskier meanwhile had decided to begin composing his next greatest ballad, plucking at his lute strings and humming a tune. The soft melody was gentle on your ears and helped distract you from your thoughts, allowing for a small smile to appear on your lips. Jaskier caught sight of it and took his opportunity, “You look so beautiful y/n- more graceful than a goddess and with eyes like shining stars.” He quipped, giving you his charming smile. You raised an eyebrow at him, “I’m dusty and windswept, it sounds like you need a nap.” You retorted.  
“Your smile is all I need.” Jaskier wittily replied before looking at Geralt who was giving him the strangest glare.  
“That’s the corniest thing I have ever heard come out of your mouth, Jaskier.” You responded, hands on hips, as another smile dared to appear on your face once again. “I agree,” Geralt said as he rose from his seat and moved closer to both of you, “Save your sleazy poetry for the brothels, or you know, the sheep if that’s what you’re in to now.” You knew the witcher was referring to the time when you both found Jaskier passed out in a sheep pen as the poor animals wandered around him. The memory was still very vivid and you had to purse your lips to hide your amusement. Glancing between Geralt and Jaskier, you found them having a stare-off again as Jaskier’s eyes went wide, “Ooh a joke! Now Geralt, careful you don’t strain yourself too much!”  
“The truth is far less straining than making up ridiculous poetic nonsense Jaskier! I’m full of those types of facts.”  
“Oh really like what?” You questioned as you picked up a waterskin from your saddlebag and took a mouthful of water. Geralt looked at you with an uncharacteristic grin, “Like the fact that I wanna marry you so bad.” Water spurted out of your nose and a laugh erupted in your chest. You glanced up at the two men see Geralt looking very pleased with himself and Jaskier looking like a disciplined puppy. You wiped your mouth with the end of your dress, “What in Melitele’s name is wrong with you two? You’ve been acting like this all day!”  
“Nothing.” The two men answered, a little too quickly and too harmoniously for your liking. You put the waterskin on the floor and stared at them both, arms folded and tapping your foot, waiting for the real answer. “We just… wanted to make you laugh.” Jaskier finally admitted. You squinted at him as his gaze flicked to you then back down to the ground. “Right… and why was that on today’s objective?” You looked over at Geralt this time and raised an eyebrow. “We noticed that you weren’t acting like your normal self, like you were upset, and so we wanted to cheer you up.” He grumbled before he too looked at the floor. Your eyebrows widened and you took a breath, “I see, I didn’t realise it was so obvious…” You began, feeling guilty for concerning your friends so much, your eyes welling up with tears. “Please don’t cry!” Jaskier pleaded as you turned and left the camp, mumbling something about getting firewood. As you walked away from them, you could hear them bickering, their muffled voices soon lost to the swaying trees.

Finding solace by an upturned tree, you sat on the floor and allowed yourself to cry, it seems you had failed in hiding your struggles today, so you decided to let them out instead. After a few minutes, you heard a footsteps behind you, followed by a twig snapping and someone yelping quietly- it was Jaskier’s voice. “Y/n?” He called, seconds before his figure appeared from behind a tree. When he looked at you- the dying sunlight revealing the tear streaks on your cheeks- you saw his features soften before he came to sit next to you. “I’m sorry about… back there… it wasn’t fair of us to make a game out of your feelings.” His head was hung low as he spoke and you watched from the corner of your eye as you looked ahead of you. “It’s fine Jaskier, I’m sorry I haven’t been much fun today.” You quietly replied.  
You heard him sharply exhale, “You don’t need to be sorry. This all started because of me, I was too scared to ask you what was wrong. But-but not because I didn’t want to know, it was because I was afraid I couldn’t make things better.” He was rambling slightly and it made you smile.  
“Jaskier, it’s fine.” You placed your hand on his knee reassuringly. “The distractions have been nice; it just would have been nicer if you asked me instead.” He nodded silently at you, before turning his body to face you.   
“We really do care about you, you know? And I might be off in the clouds or out entertaining my many, many fans-” You both giggled at this. “- But I’ll always be here for you, okay?” He looked at you sincerely as he spoke, his blue eyes glistening in the light as if they were rippling lakes. You felt your cheeks go warm and you nodded at him before quickly looking away, hoping to hide your embarrassment.

After a minute of quiet, you decide to break the silence with a burning question. “Jask, why did Geralt say what he did?” You turned your head to look at him. He didn’t respond straight away, instead his leg started bouncing and he wouldn’t meet your eyes. “That was… er… it was him teasing me.” He admitted, although it was clear that wasn’t the whole truth.  
“Why would he be teasing you with a statement like that?” You leant forward as you asked the question, hoping to get him to look at you, which he eventually did. His eyes danced around your facial features, as if too afraid to remain looking in one place. His mouth opened then closed again as he looked away. Your patience was eventually rewarded when you saw him swallow hard and then look back at you, “Because he knows how fond I am of you. And the joke about brothels was also him teasing because he knows I haven’t stepped foot in one since I met you.” The words came out thick and fast, then he looked away and went quiet. It took a while to process what he was telling you, and soon your heart began to beat rapidly and your mind focused on all memories and thoughts related to him. “I… I’m fond of you too, Jaskier.” You stated, his head whipped round to look at you but you wouldn’t meet his eyes just yet. “Very fond of you if I’m honest.” You added, half laughing as you said it. When you looked back at him, the air around you both changed. Now you were looking at each other in a new light, your confessions rising into the air like smoke, the heat in your chest ever increasing with every second he gazed at you. Suddenly he stood up and delicately held your hands in his as he pulled you to join him, “My darling y/n, what I have to say is the truth- no poetry, no corny lines. I have been captivated by you since the day we met and I want nothing but to wake up every day to that wonderful smile. If you’ll have me, I promise you I will spend every waking moment treasuring you and reminding you of your beauty, wits and skill. Anything you could ever want- just ask and it is yours.” Jaskier was slowly turning you in a circle as he spoke, causing you to chuckle at him. You stood still and pulled on his hands to get his attention, “Jaskier, for now I just want to be in your arms, with your lips on mine.” You smiled at him as his eyes grew wide and the smile on his face even wider. He stepped closer to you and placed his hands on your waist, “Of course m’lady.” He whispered, before leaning down to capture your lips in a long-awaited kiss.


End file.
